Sunday, June 25, 2017

The weather can have an effect on baking. I guess that is why some of the best and tastiest recipes are made in the wintertime. The only damage I can think of that the cold will do is maybe cause something to seize up more quickly than needed, such as when you are making fudge or candy. The heat and humidity, however, are more difficult opponents in the kitchen. These evil offspring of nature's seasons, unfortunately, sometimes make their home in Texas.

So when they come to stay in the summer, I have to start crossing things off my baking list. The first thing to eliminate is meringue. Now, this particular tart recipe calls for a topping of meringue, so I opted to do the stabilized whipped cream for the topping. Also, like all recipes you find on the net, this one had suggestions and comments. The one I took note of was that the passion fruit flavor was very subtle, so I increased the amount used in the recipe. Even though the end result was very tangy, the whipped cream topping worked to tone it down. The toasted bits of coconut on top was another suggestion that I implemented, that added some more texture to the dessert.

I used a standard shortcrust pastry recipe to make this 9-9 1/2 inch tart. The filling has to chill for at least 8 hours, so plan on this time if you decide to make this tart. The recipe below only represents the filling and topping with some tweaks. I have included a link back to the original recipe if you are looking for the additional instructions and ingredients for a pastry shell as well as meringue topping.

Fill the bowl of a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) with the eggs and sugar and whisk until blended. Then sift the cornstarch into the mixture, add salt, and whisk again. Set aside.

Place a saucepan over medium heat and fill with the passion fruit. Remove from heat once it reaches a simmer stage and prior to boiling. Set aside and then go back to the egg mixture and turn the mixer up to medium. As the egg mixture is whisked, pour a slow, small stream of the hot passion fruit into egg batter. Continue whisking and slowly pouring until saucepan is empty.

Then take the bowl out of the mixer stand and pour liquid back into the saucepan. Place over medium heat and let cook, whisking constantly. As it cooks, add a few butter cubes and continue to whisk. Once cubes are melted and blended, repeat the process until all butter cubes are melted and incorporated into the mixture. The batter will need to be cooked and whisked until it reaches the consistency of pudding. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Watch the heat, filling is to come to a boil but is to be removed from heat at that time.

Once the filling is the right consistency, pour into a sieve placed over a heat proof bowl. Push filling through sieve. Once sieve is empty and bowl is full, cover the surface of the filling with waxed paper. Chill the mixture for at least 8 hours. You also can chill it overnight.

After chilling time is up, beat whipped cream until soft peaks form and then add the stabilizer and beat until thick and fluffy. Remove passion fruit curd from the refrigerator and fill the tart with the curd. Spread out with a spatula until tart shell is evenly filled. Smooth out the top. Then top with the stabilized whipped cream and sprinkle the toasted coconut over the surface.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

There are wild berries that grow in Texas but nearly all of the colors of the edible berries have a poisionous and sometimes fatal berry that matches the color. So, unless you have the specific knowledge to identify the difference, it is best to refrain from eating wild berries in Texas. Some of them will actually irritate the skin as well.

Now there are quite a number of delicious berries in the grocers or at the farmers market to choose from without taking such a risk out in the wild. I noticed that the blueberry has been scarce in my blog posts, so I decided it needed a little promotion. After all, it is considered to have the most health benefits of all the commonly found berries at the grocery store.

There are some berries I can eat raw and enjoy, but unfortunately the blueberry is not one of them. In my opinion, they need something more. In this particular recipe, that something more is sweet white chocolate with a touch of cinnamon. That combo in itself says "no butter required". Outside of flavor, the key to a good muffin is to have a nice moist texture without sticking to the paper liner.

This muffin recipe delivers on all factors, so I consider it a keeper. I guess that is why the recipe makes 3 dozen.

Prepare pans by greasing the edge of the cavities and filling with paper liners. There should be a total of 36 cavities, 2 or 3 pans. Preheat the oven to 365 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Then stir in the sugar. Set aside.

Take out a second bowl and fill with the eggs. Whisk until yolks and whites are completely blended. Then stir in oil, yogurt and buttermilk.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in half of the wet ingredients. Stir mixture together and add the remaining liquid blend, until a batter is formed. Fold in the berries and chocolate chips, dispersing them evenly throughout the batter.

Once mixed, using a scoop or large spoon fill the cavities of the muffin tins.

Place pans in oven and bake for 12 minutes and then rotate. Bake for an additional 12 minutes. Muffins are done when tester comes out clean, after 25-30 minutes baking time.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack. After 5 minutes (if you prefer) you can dust with powdered sugar.

Tips and Notes:

1. The batter rises quickly, before the blueberry and chocolate chip additions, this means cavities can be filled full for not much rise takes place while baking.

2. Dusting with powdered sugar should only be done if you plan on serving right away. The other option once completely cooled, brush with butter and dip in cinnamon sugar.**LAST YEAR: CIRCUS COOKIES**

Sunday, June 11, 2017

The recipe hails from Seattle's Top Pot Donuts and was released to a magazine. The dough yields a good coconut flavor when fried. The key to the flavor is the coconut milk and coconut extract. In addition, the sweet crunchy topping promotes the coconut flavor even more. Since the recipe does not contain yeast, the donuts' texture is much like a cake donut. The crispy outside and fluffy interior alone will make you come back for seconds. Keep this in mind, for the recipe only makes about 10-12 donuts.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl until the yolk is blended evenly with the white of the egg. Empty mixture into a large bowl. Add sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 tsp coconut extract and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended. Set aside.

Take out a smaller bowl and sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough forms. It will be sticky.

Preheat 2 inches of oil in a 6 quart saucepan or deep fryer to 370 degrees. Take out a cooling rack and place over a sheet of wax paper on a flat surface.

Forming the dough will be done by hand. Lightly oil clean hands. Then pinch off about 1/4 cup of dough. Shape into a disk with a 1 1/2 inch hole in the center. Carefully drop donut into the hot oil. After one side cooks in oil for about 1 1/2 minutes, flip over and let the other side cook for the same amount of time. The outside should be toasty and golden brown when done. Remove donut from oil with a slotted spoon and place on cooling rack. Continue, following the same steps, with the remaining amount of dough.

For the topping, start with a parchment lined baking sheet. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the coconut on the baking sheet, smooth out evenly and break up any clumps. Place in preheated oven for 2 minutes, remove and stir. Repeat that process 3 more times or until the coconut is nicely toasted.

To make the glaze, sift confectioners sugar and remaining amount (1/2 tsp) of salt together in to a bowl. In another bowl mix both extracts and coconut milk together. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk until a smooth glaze is formed. Dip the top side of the donut into the glaze and then into the toasted coconut. Place on rack for topping to dry. Repeat the process until all donuts are covered.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

There are a lot of entrepreneurs in the business of making spice blends. Most people believe that this is an easy task. It can be, if all you are doing is mixing spices together. However, there is a whole other side to spice blends that is more scientific and a little bit amazing. The scientifically formulated spices have specific flavor transitions when they hit your taste buds. You first taste a smokey barbeque flavor, then the spicy heat and, lastly. a chaser of a sweet brown sugar flavor. No matter how you use this particular spice blend, the flavor will transition in the same manner every time.

Now, I am no scientist, but this is one donut recipe that falls into the sweet and savory category. It has black pepper in the batter along with mace. Also, after frying, it is coated in a salt/sugar/pepper blend. While crisp on the outside, the interior has a sponge-like texture that stems from the egg and potato ingredients. Except for the sugar blend coating-this donut is more savory than most. This recipe makes about 1 dozen donuts.

Start by taking out 3 bowls and cutting out 12 four inch squares of parchment and spray each with non stick spray.
Pour 2 quarts of water into a pot. Put pot over medium high heat and add a few pinches of salt. Let come to a boil and then add the potato cubes. Let the potatoes cook, watching to make sure the water does not boil over. The potatoes will soften and be fully cooked after about 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and then pass through a ricer placed over one of the bowls. Set aside. In the second bowl, sift together the mace, flour, baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set this bowl aside also.

For the third bowl and final bowl, add the eggs and whisk until white and yolks are blended. Pour in the butter, add the zest and 1/3 cup of sugar. Stir together until evenly distributed and fold in the riced/cooked potatoes until the mixture is smooth.

Using a wooden spoon, mix the sifted ingredients into the wet mixture in 3 increments. Continue to blend until no dry streaks remain. Form into a ball and let sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes.

As the dough sits, set up your fryer or use a pot with a deep fry thermometer. Fill with 2 inches or more of oil and heat up to 370 degrees. Dust a flat surface with flour. Using floured hands, transfer the dough from the bowl to the prepared surface. Then flatten the dough round with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into donut shapes with a 3 inch cutter, using the dough scraps and donut holes to pat into another 1/2 inch thick circle for cutting. Place each cut donut on a prepared parchment square.

Before frying, whisk together the remaining amount of salt, sugar and pepper. Pour into a gallon zip lock bag. Then place a cooling rack over paper towels.

Once the oil is at the right temperature, use the parchment square to flip each raw donut into the hot oil. Only fry in batches of 3-4 donuts at a time. The donuts will take about 3-4 minutes to cook in the oil, so set the timer at 1 minute and 30 seconds and then flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time. Scoop out with a mesh skimmer and place on cooling rack. Let cool for a few minutes and then add to the zip lock bag of coating. Shake until fully coated and place back on rack to completely cool. Repeat the cooking/cooling/coating process until all donuts have been fryed and coated.

Tips and Notes:
1. If you are not into the salty/sweet, try turning this item into a more savory treat by adding freeze dried chives to the batter before adding the dry ingredients. You can also forming these into hush puppy type of appetizers with a garlic sauce for dipping by altering the shape and fry time.

2. Note that the dough is not rolled out. Less handling of the dough will avoid having a tough donut in the end.

3. This recipe never stated to maintain any temperature while frying. This means that the fluctuation in temperature when the dough is added to the oil is expected, so do not panic if the temperature reduces. The only setting to worry about is the initial 370 degrees.

4. As stated in the previous recipes if using a fryer do not use the wire baskets. The raw donuts are to be dropped straight into the oil. **LAST YEAR:Mojito Bars**